Last Friday in our Spread Your Wings Academy we presented some ideas on how to create layers. I couldn't resist to keep creating as layering is one of my favorite techniques. I just love mixing different kinds of materials and textures.

Friday, 28 August 2015

together with my Creative Team, we hope you've already become a member of our Spread Your Wings Academy and that you are following our series. :)

This month we are going to focus on the art of creating layers and the girls are sharing their tips, tricks and not one, not two, but FOUR tutorials on different versions of layering. Enjoy!

Hello Finnabair friends. For this months SYWA project on layers, I
have made a journal page using layers of “wet mediums”.

There are so many wonderful mediums on the market now that
you can use to create multiple layers of texture and colour. The only
thing you need to be aware of is if the medium is waterproof.

A lot of
these mediums are waterproof once they are dried and “set” with a heat
tool, and will not run, bleed or smudge when other wet layers are
applied over the top.

Read the labels carefully and practice using the
medium on a piece of scrap paper first!

The
quote by Frida Kahlo can refer to life in general, but I have used
it as a special reference to my daughter’s hair, which was actually
bleached white in this photo but has in fact been every colour of the
rainbow in the last couple of years, including orange. :)

Started with book pages and a photo. Coat the photo with Clear Gesso. This creates a surface on the photo that will accept other
wet mediums like paint or ink but at the same time it protects the
surface if you splash something on the photo and you are quick, you can
remove it with a baby wipe. Except alcohol ink.

Then coat the book pages
and parts of the photo you may want to add colour to with
White Gesso.

Stamp around the edges with archival ink. Add a transparent
layer of colour with acrylic paint thinned down with Soft Matte Gel. Apply with a credit card or spatula.

Copic markers are filled with alcohol ink. Using the small can of
compressed air you can buy with the pens, I misted over my pages with
another layer of colour. You could of course use any spray mists here,
just ensure you heat set them. Next step - archival ink applied through a
stencil.

Now some bolder, stronger colour using Distress Spray Stains. I love the
versatility of these stains. You can get some beautiful effects
because they will react with water but once dried and heat set, they
will not move.

Added some even richer colour with Izink pigment
ink. Again will react with water but is permanent once dried.

Gelatos are amazing for achieving soft “painterly” effects. Just rub
them on and then wipe over them with a baby wipe.

Lastly some mists and blobs of Color Bloom spray. I love the
look of these but I find them to be the least stable, they will still
react with other wet mediums even after they have been dried so that’s
why I have used it last.

The vine
used on the hair is a rub-on but I didn’t have very much so had to hand
draw some more on the second page using a permanent black pen by Rangerink. This pen writes over everything, which is
important when using lots of different layered mediums, which will
easily clog up most ink pens.

Playing with different mediums and
layering them over the top of each other is a lot of fun, many random
and unexpected effects can be created.

I'd like to show you how I create my layers with fabric and different kinds of lace.

I mostly used Newspaper and Ads resist canvas and the lace from my home stash.

I cut the canvas into even stripes, I also cut them here and there and made little tears to make the edges uneven. Some threads that were left over were also used later on iin my composition.

My base was a paper from Vintage Vanity collection covered with a thin layer of White Gesso. Then, it was really simple - I just added a layer of fabric / lace / fabric / lace / and so forth.

Sometimes I glued them directly to each other, someties I used a piece of cardboard to create some 'air'. All the layers were glued with 3D Matte Gel.

4. After slightly misting and drying the whole, I stamped it with various patterns.

5. On such prepared background I glued twigs and portraits in Mechanicals frames creating the family tree.

6. The last step consists of labelling the family members, adding
beads, a snail shell and more Micro Beads. I also used a black fineliner
to accent dimentional elements. Ready!

I love
layers! I use both dimensional and flat layers in my projects. The flat(ter)
ones make up the background with stamping, misting and inking and the
embellishments and paper layers make the more dimensional ones.

My tips on
making layers would be: don’t be afraid to cover something, know your supplies
and have fun!

When
building layers, the odds are that you end up covering something you’ve created
in a previous stage. That’s why you might want to go a bit bold and big with
the first layers so that you end up showing at least part of the things you’ve
done.

The second
tip is connected mostly on stamping in my part but applies to others too. You
should know your supplies when building layers. For example I almost always use
Archival Ink in stamping because if I then decide to add mist on top the
stamped pattern still stays intact. Although bleeding and smudging might look
fun too! So you need to know how the mediums react with each other and
moisture, too.

The third tip
is just to encourage to play, try out and really - to have fun! You can create
wonderful textures and layers by accident so play with your supplies and try
different things.

I get asked
a lot how I make the paper layers behind the photo so here’s a quick three step
tutorial of the process.

1)Make the background layers first by mixing
stamping, inking and what you like to use. Then cut some random pieces of
patterned paper. Mix different patterns but keep the pieces quite small,
biggest piece being the size of the photo or just a touch larger.

2)Then make the composition. Layer the pieces both
horizontally and vertically keeping the composition on your hand. Attach the
layers to each other with a stapler. Place the staples so that they are hidden
underneath the photo. Use just one or a few if needed.

3)Lastly add the photo on top using 3D foam
squares. You can also use these to make the paper layers more dimensional, but
I often use those just underneath the photo to lift it up from the rest of the
page, to really make it pop.

It really is easy as 1-2-3! :)

We know that some people can't imagine their creations without layers and some others feel totally intimidated by them.

In any case, we hope you are feeling inspired and that you will share you artworks with the world in our super friendly Finnabair & Friends Open Studio on facebook.

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This is my blog, where I share ideas, projects and designs, which belong to me and my Creative Team. I really hope to inspire you so you create your own unique art.

Please remember though that with the content on my blog and my mixed-media classes I make my living. I do love to share my ideas with you but not all of them are for free.Thank you for respecting my work, designs and my copyrights - let's make internet nicer place for everyone!